Sherie Hinton Henry,
Associate Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

On April 16, 2007, Mrs. Sherie Hinton Henry was named Associate Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. In this capacity, Mrs. Henry joins Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Margo M. McKay in providing leadership for Civil Rights at the Department of Agriculture.

Mrs. Henry previously served as the Deputy Administrator for Operations and Management in the Rural Development mission area where she provided leadership for overall administrative and financial management functions. She directed and provided senior management oversight for Civil Rights, Procurement, Information Technology, Human Resources, Emergency Preparedness, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, financial management and Native American Programs.

Mrs. Henry also advised and assisted each of the three Rural Development Administrators on matters related to overall administrative and financial management in their respective agencies - Rural Business and Cooperative Programs, Rural Housing Programs, and Rural Utilities Programs.

Before joining the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Mrs. Henry's entire career had been with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, formerly Farmers Home Administration (FmHA), where she began her career with the FmHA as a GS-1 Stay-In-School employee in Poplarville, Mississippi. She attended Pearl River Junior College in Poplarville and later attended Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi majoring in Business Administration and Agricultural Economics. Upon completion of her studies, she became an Assistant County Supervisor in Poplarville, Mississippi. She was subsequently promoted to County Supervisor in Natchez, Mississippi where she served until 1988 when she was promoted to the National Office and served in a number of positions.

In 1996, she served as Rural Development's Acting State Director for Texas. Upon her return from Texas, she served as the Acting Director for the USDA, Office of Outreach. In 1999, at the request of the Secretary, Mrs. Henry was detailed to the Rural Development Mississippi State Office to assist the Mid-Delta Empowerment Zone. In the same year, she was honored as Manager of the Year by the Blacks and Minority Employee Organization.

Currently, Mrs. Henry serves on the Secretary's Executive Resources Board and has served on several committees including the Rural Development Labor-Management Partnership Council. She has represented USDA in several other capacities including Career Co-Chair of the Secretary's Diversity Advisory Council from 2003-2005, Chair of the Secretary's Honor Awards Evaluation Committee in 2001 and 2002; and Campaign Manager, Combined Federal Campaign, 2006.